Friday, January 13, 2012

Another exciting week...

The flu is still hanging around with a vengeance, with total disregard to the fact I am absolutely not interested in having it stay for much longer ! and just when I thought the electricity issue was sorted and the weekly dyeing day would be without any exciting things happening, the power went OFF.... Again......for a whole day and more.... Now, for all of you living in suburbia or a city, this may sound a bit strange. For all of us living in the bush and in the country these things happen more often than not. Especially in the bush or , where we are , where there are trees and wild life in abundance. One gush of wind in wet conditions can send a tree down or a branch or a koala treads where it shouldn’t and “Poof!Bang!..”no electricity. Why? Because all the powerlines are above ground. Not only is this asking for trouble but it can be very disastrous (for example the Kinglake horrendous bushfires started by a short in the powerlines on a very hot day). I’m not an expert but hey, why not dig them in eh? I know it’s probably not very cost effective for the power companies who have to fork out millions, but I think they make more than enough money already.Also , after being without power for the whole day on the Wednesday and knowing that this is not the first nor will it be the last time, we are sooo tempted to find a way to be totally off the grid. Solar power here is not really an option for the whole kit and caboodle because of the trees, mountains and , let’s face it, the less than normal hours of sun we are getting, but there must be other ways and it is definitely worth looking at. It’s a long term plan…

What is going to happen in a very short time though is that the IxCHeL fibre farm is going to participate in the Royal Sydney Easter Show on the 9th of April !!! Last year I made a suggestion to the organisers of the show that it woud be so good as a promotion for the angora rabbit breed to organise a world record attempt : a back to back Bunny . It has been approved and will be covered by all media !! it is going to be HUGE !!!! It means that 3 bunnies will be clipped, then prepped and spun and then knitted into a shawl/scarf in the shortest possible time. There is a team of 6 people that will do the clipping, the spinning and the knitting : 2 clippers , 2 extremely fast spinners and 2 super fast knitters ! There will be a lot prep and discussion with all the team members before hand ofcourse !! and a lot of practicing by all ;) More information on the back to back bunny event and the Royal Sydney Easter Show can be found on their website later and ofcourse I will keep you updated as well J If you want to be part of this event , volunteer, help or be there, please message me of give me a ring!

Apart from all the power outages and flu , I have been busy again with making this update a very nice exciting one: there is the January selection of mini skeins that are super cool ! and come with a very nice extra: a smile hexapuff chart ! Also two types of sock yarn: my new design “morse code dyed sock yarn” and super new colour combinations in my hand dyed merino/nylon 4ply sock yarn !

There have been some amazing nice yarns on my wheel for custom orders and I just HAD to share these two with you because I am totally in love with them ! One is a Wood Elf Art yarn: Australian bush bird feathers, paperbark spun with blue faced Leicester, merino, cashmere, angora bunny, glitz, gold and silk all dyed with walnut.

Last but not least , Navajo Churro Bunny Blend tops are back! A new harvest of this amazing blend is available again in new colourways that are out of this world. The blend is wonderful to spin, is strong but still soft because of the bunny blended in it thoroughly and I am thrilled with the colour combos.

One last thing before I let you drool and snaffle: your support means a lot to us here at the farm. You are not only buying yarn or fibre, you are supporting a small farm with happy animals raised with love and attention and care. It is not easy as a small business to survive these days and for a small farm it can be even harder. So, I want to thank all of you loyal readers and supporters out there. This week know that you are not only supporting us, but also the Navajo Nation, who have been instrumental in saving the beautiful Navajo Sheep from extinction.

One last thing: be creative, be yourself and most of all: do not try and do the same as others. Be brave enough to be Different. Never compare yourself to others and be proud of what you can achieve by doing the best you can. Have fun !

How To Order:You can email me on ixchel at rabbit dot com dot au or message me on facebook or ravelry where I am Ixchelbunny. I will email you right back with all your order details and payment methods. Any questions? Please don’t hesitate to ask! Always happy to enable.

Ned Kelly -my favourite colour combo at the moment and fairly similar to the sock club December that had the very special Sock blank and pattern Ned Kelly Socks)

Ned Kelly -my favourite colour combo at the moment and fairly similar to the sock club December that had the very special Sock blank and pattern Ned Kelly Bunny Socks) See what great stuff you get when you are an IxCHeL sock it to me Yarn club member! :-)

the January mini skein selection + some of the hexapuffs I made with this selection !

Close up of the mini skein selection January 2012

smiley face chart and hexapuff

Dates to Remember:Bunny Spin in at the Ixchel Fibre Farm (11am-4pm)

BUNNY SPIN INS at the IxCHeL Fibre Farm

Saturday January 21st, 11am-4pmBring a plate to share your wheel or spindle, knitting or crochet, yourself and a smile and have a fun day out amongst bunnies and friends ! Please contact me to secure a spot ! Bunny food like cabbage, bok choi or broccoli is always welcome as well ! : the bunnies will cuddle you more for it ;D

Thursday January 26th..it's Australia Day….cancelled ..sorry !

Warragul Spinners and Weavers Group, Gladstone street14th of February in The Fireshed. It will be filled with fibre ! I will do a bunny talk and bring a bunny with me to “show and tell” and perform a bunny haircut !

April 9th, Sydney Royal Easter ShowTHE Angora Bunny Event of the year!!Back to Back Bunny World RecordJoin the fun and what better way to do it than visit all the Easter bunnies at the Royal Easter Show! Promoting the angora rabbits in Australia for the very first time ! and how ! More information on the Royal Syndey show website and here later !

April 28thMini Wool Show of the Hand knitters GuildTime and place to be confirmed later.I am preparing heaps of new yarns for that event that will be amazing !!!!!

The Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show 2012Friday 20th-Sunday 22nd of JulyI will be in the Flower (bunny) shed again this year with heaps of new fluffy stuff and in full bunny regalia :-)This year it is even going to BIGGER and more HUGE than ever !!!Join me in the fun !The woolcraft schedule is published and the IxCHeL Fibre farm is sponsoring a catergory this year in the handspun yarn classes in Natural Animal Fibres class 23 and 24 !!! We feel it is very important to get the word out . Angora fibre and cashmere and mohair and alpaca and baby camel is amazing to spin, felt, weave, embellish and crochet with! Start planning and working on your entry for the show and get your art work out there for everybody tot admire and win prizes !! yeah ! What could be better eh?Check out the website here for more details : www.sheepshow.com and for questions relating to the woolcraft schedule and ore contact Dot Vallence at Dotv5 at optusnet dot com dot au

Contact me on Ravelry where I am Ixchelbunny, message me on facebook or email me on Ixchelbunny@yahoo.com.au or ixchel@rabbit.com.au

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Ixchel is an Australian Fibre Farm in the Yarra Valley in Victoria, breeding their own fluffy animals pesticide free and organic. Charly McCafferty (Ixchel Bunny) does all the spinning, dyeing, knitting and weaving and loving every second of it: Angora Rabbit, Cashmere, Mohair, Merino, Alpaca, Camel or even Yak.Paul McCafferty is constantly juggling work on the fibre farm and is the brain behind making all the animal housing and organising the farm harmoneously.
Email:Ixchel@rabbit.com.au

About Me

Email: ixchelbunny@yahoo.com.au
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Born in the Netherlands, part Dutch and Native American, brought up in Europe, Canada ,the States and Latin America and now living in Australia, I see myself as a world citizen enjoying every moment that this life is giving me. Having such a diverse background I feel very priviledged on how it makes my art (be it paintings or wearable art) so universal and yet so special.